We were only children when our eyes met for the first time. A connection sparked between us, and living under the same roof for the last fifteen years, growing up together only made it stronger. Nicoli Del Rossa sits next to his brothers at the table of the Dark Sovereign. And just like them, he’s not a good man. There’s a monster that lurks behind those deceptively beautiful blue eyes, a chaotic cruelty that stirs in his veins. I’d be better off without him, and my heart would be protected if I kept my distance. But it burns. It pulses between us, and I find myself out of breath whenever he’s close. He made it clear years ago that I’m the one woman he’ll never touch, that he’ll do everything in his power to sever the connection we share—even if it means hating me. I still remember the words he said to me the day he had me pinned against a wall, our bodies yearning while our self-control hung by a thread. “You are a queen, Mirabella. But I will never be your king.”